


Cold Nights, Colder Hands

by bravelove



Category: Yogscast
Genre: Childhood Friends, Drug Use, Poker Night, Reminiscing, This uh got away from me, references to violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 13:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19174444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bravelove/pseuds/bravelove
Summary: Poker night had come up, and Strife isn't really feeling it.





	Cold Nights, Colder Hands

It was a rainy night, but Strife paid it no mind, umbrella in hand and sunglasses pushed over his eyes to avoid detection, he walked confidently into the dingy warehouse, not bothering to look behind him as the car pulled away. He’d been waiting for this all month, and he had made extra sure to Parvis proof the plans, and thus, he was alone, finally.

Walking in the warehouse was dark, but an area with a few candles caught his eye, yes there it was. He walked over, a table set up and a deck of cards, he looked over at the people playing hand and he tossed some money onto the table, “Deal me in Minty.”

Minty gave a polite smile and said “Oh I’m glad you made it Strife, I was worried that the weather would stop you from coming,” though Strife knew that even if she was quite polite, she could break most people like a toothpick, and while normally he would never lump himself in with ‘most people’ Minty could absolutely break him like a toothpick also.

“Of course an evening playing cards and away from Parvis-” he gave a small glare at Xephos who gave a knowing look. “Nothing could have stopped me.”

“Really I think you were late because you were a chicken! A pansy chicken” Sips crowed, grinning, he had the most chips on the table, someone was doing quite well tonight Strife noticed, before slipping his shades back to his head.

“Not a chance Sips, someone has to take your dirty money from you and clean it up” Strife remarked back, making the entire table groan as Strife smirked

Xephos in particular held his face in his hands “Must you Strife? We’ve all heard that joke so many times.”

“And make the William Strife come up with new material? We both know he could never!” Ravs snarked taking his chips out of his mug and stacking them on the table to clean the mug more, a clear sign of bragging, seems Ravs was doing second best.

Strife finally took a chair and Sips slid him a cigar, Strife happily took it, no comment made between them, as Strife waited for the next hand. After a few minutes of watching and a few more cards dealt to no reaction beyond Ravs sighing and folding and the others throwing a few more chips into the pot they flipped up there cards to Minty’s check, she was a good card shark, Strife couldn’t help but smile as he remembered the one time Sips tried to cheat and got hogtied to the roof by her with ease, that was hilarious he still had the pictures.

“Xephos has a straight, Sips has a three of a kind, Nano has a two of a kind, Nilesy has, a straight flush? Seems it’s turning up for you, Nilesy wins the hand.” Minty said after a quick examination of the cards and Nilesy grinned and pulled in the cash, Strife realized he hadn’t seen any other chips with him, he must have gone all in.

“Oh come on! Must I lose every good hand I have??” Xephos groaned as he looked to his dwindling pile of chips, at this rate he’d be first out.

“Don’t blame me Xeph, the cards just like me more! Really if you slips me a few diamonds I could lend you a few of mine-” Nilesy wheedled before Xephos interrupted

“Isn’t the price usually that or friendship”

Strife snorted a bit at that, ah Nilesy, still so idealistic. Nilesy seemed to huff though as he pointed his nose in the air and said “Well I thought we were already friends Xephos how dare.”

“Well we uh are I suppose hm, still not paying you diamonds though.”

“Geeez what a cheapskate whatever though enjoy the walk of shame in oh, five minutes.”

Snickers littered the table at Xeph’s expense who blushed a bit.

“Alright boys settle down, mama needs a new pair of shoes, Minty deal for us wont you?” Nano interjected, getting the game back on track

“Of course, usually blinds, Ravs and Sips you’re up.”

Ravs and Sips rolled there eyes but tossed a few chips in the pot and Strife asked while Minty dealt “Let me guess, Rail Bros failed to show again?”

Nano shrugged as she checked her cards “Eh when do they ever, say they should be less busy next month hopefully, maybe we’ll even get to see them for a minute!”

The table laughed for a few seconds as they also checked there cards and Ravs spoke up “Eh screw them anyways we don’t need them to have some fun, since this is all of us you guys want to break out the keg I brought? Only a hundred bucks to use it!”

Strife found himself feeling a bit parched and spoke up “I’ll give you fifty and a hit of redstone.” taking out the bag, he would need that concentration for the game and Ravs grinned.

“Deal give me that hit!” and reached into his big bag by his feet and pulled out a decent sized keg with ease.

“Dealer gets free drinks.” Minty said casually as she grabbed a cup and got some to Ravs rolled eyes, but he didn’t protest. “Besides your swill isn’t worth 100 anyways, it’s basically fifty percent squid ink these days.”

Ravs crossed his arms and complained “Rythian doesn’t notice or care you should all be like him” very notably not denying the claim.

“I think if Strife tried to be more like Rythian, he’d explode he’s basically the antirythian.” Xephos remarked, not grabbing a cup himself, just taking a swig from a flask, someone was pregaming.

Strife checked his cards ignoring the banter, red jack heart and red heart four, not bad. His neutral face scanned the group as they settled back down for another round, Xephos itched his nose, he had a bad hand if he had to guess, Sips was as steadfast as ever, not giving a thing, and Ravs had no shame in thumping his face into the table in defeat, he was bluffing he’d use that trick before, he must have a great hand. Everyone else gave away nothing yet, Strife clicked his tongue as the table went around to him “Check.”

“Oh someone’s being a pussy.”

“Shut up Nilesy”

“He does have a point though Strife, the nights young.”

“You just want me to lose more money then you might.”

“I take offense at that.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Watching as the game continued and soon Minty dealt cards onto the table, Strife clicked his tongue, dammit, black spades eight, black jack clubs, and a red six heart, dammit all. At least he still had a pair which was better then an ace high.

“Check again”

“Chicken”

His eyes darted to the speaker, Sips, before speaking, his brow had a slight furrow, he had a terrible hand now, and he had bet earlier hadn’t he, bastard probably was hoping he could at least get ahead of him in money lost here.

“Bite me”

The hand continued a six black spades had appeared, giving Strife a two pair, and everyone was checking, wait no Ravs had just raised, and soon it was his turn to call, the hand was no longer free, and Strife figured they were right, the night was young.

“Call.”

“So Strife how is your business going anyways, still taking that leave of absence with Parv?”

He rubbed his face, how dare Nano remind him, “Unfortunately yes, someone has to keep him alive and that’s my problem to deal with, he listens to me the most so I can’t just hire someone easily, it’s a pain. Xephos you know the debt wasn’t worth this pain.”

“Well I didn’t know at the start he’d get into blood magic Strife, that’s your fault.”

“Augh.”

Holding his face in his hands, the rest of the hand went by without any notice as Strife grumped about being stuck with Parvis. He tied the hand with Ravs, who also only had a two pair, huh guess the move earlier was a double bluff, when did he get good at poker?

Strife didn’t know but the rest of the night Strife’s concentration wavered, even as he took a few hits of redstone, he found himself, uninterested in the game, and he looked around the area he was in, a dusty old warehouse, no electricity or heating, the sound of a storm outside, why was he here. His eyes fell upon his companions, and wondered how they got here, old memories of a childhood long gone flashed behind his eyes.

He looked to Nano, when did she get so, defensive? Sure even as his childhood friend and crush she had always been feisty, but never so on guard, she went missing when he was sixteen, and only recently a few years was found in the Nether, memories of her childhood gone, his heart tugged for a minute for her, she was still the girl he had loved, but she never did settle back in with the group again, never fully having the connection the others had, and yet she showed, why did she force herself to show? Strife wasn’t sure, but he could tell that she was in pain, was it the flux? Or something more? He would never know.

Next up was Nilesy, a skittish kid the group met in high school that swindled away Sips’ entire wallet, he fell in fast with the group when he realized they weren’t about to murder him when they confronted him, a kind trustable face to a cunning viper in a tie, rumors spread about what happened in Cabertown, but whatever had happened there, it changed Nilesy, now on guard as well, with a stiff posture, what had he and Ravs done?

And Ravs, the pickpocket and get away driver in the band of youths, he used to be so carefree yet wise at times, just wanting money and something in his hands to fiddle with. People say there were no survivors of the Cabertown Riots, and yet, he and Nilesy sat before them, denying they had ever been there, but a greed of a new kind had entered Ravs eyes, it worried Strife, what had driven such a simple guy into a frenzy behind his smile? Why did Nilesy always keep an eye on him? What had he done?

Minty served up another hand, and Strife couldn't help a small smile as he remembered the day he and her met, she beat him up thinking he was Sips, the dumb and mildly concussed Strife of only thirteen had proposed on the spot, must have been weird for her, She did seem apologetic when she learned he was in fact not the half dwarf Sips, and instead the supposedly completely human Strife. She brought him homework and sweets, tutoring him where he fell behind and training him how to break out of grips when she wanted to practice her martial arts. She now had a knife under her sleeve at all times now even more poison in her polite smiles, rumors of all kind swirled around her, perhaps military service? Or she became a mercenary? The more, crass rumors he had stomped out sparing no expense, Minty didn’t deserve that. All Strife knew for sure, is that Minty has killed at least one person, and it changed her forever.

The Rail Bros, well, they were an oddity, while not here tonight they had been the groups dealers, and the ones with the bail money, while they had fallen mostly out of contact with the bros, they still had a place for them at there table.

Then there was Xephos, yup there was certainly Xephos, Strife was glad his hero complex was doing better, that caused them a lot of trouble in there youth, Xephos need to cause trouble, just to save the day, its a miracle they weren’t arrested, its a miracle Xephos got Honeydew. Though Strife was still pissed about Parvis, he knew Xephos was a good man, better then him that’s for sure.

Last but probably least, was Sips himself, the half dwarf was an oddity among the group. The only openly nonhuman, the group made sure any who fucked with him got beat the shit out of, Sips was too slow to anger for his own good after all. He had been the comic relief and sleaze of the group, joking and charming his way out of trouble, though rarely taking the group with him with it. The unofficial leader, he encouraged Strife to go to college with him, and later saved his life from the blood magic. He changed the least, out of the group, but even he wore the weariness of age, no longer just zoning off, Sips always looked like he knew something, and that he desperately wish he didn’t. Strife could only guess what it was, he heard rumors about something to do with copper? What abyss had Sips looked into?

Strife leaned back in his chair as he folded his shit hand, and now here they all were, meeting in an abandoned warehouse to play poker once a mouth, just like they were 14 again and had the world in there palms.  They really did have it now, but Strife wondered if it had been worth it, what had happened to the energetic group that loved life? He didn’t know, and now they played poker pretending the atrocities they had seen and done never existed, that everything was still okay, that there was some semblance of sanity. Maybe that’s why the Rail Bros never came around anymore, perhaps they grew up where he could not? Perhaps they gave up holding onto the past? Strife frowned, he couldn’t do that, it was one of his very few chains, if he forgot the past he’d just become, a shell, he had to remember why he was here, and not get lost to his secrets and drives for power and cash, to remember his humanity. He knew the day he stopped coming, was the day he could no longer be called human, and so as he watched the group play, a fakeness and feeling of forced from every action, Strife could not stop himself from asking to the group, letting every inch of weariness and age show in his words.

“Do you remember when we were all little?”

Then the group was silent, and Strife knew he had broken every facade there, the group would never be the same.

Strife could only pray it would do some good, and not bring the chaos he feared so dearly that would befall it from challenging the unspoken rules.


End file.
